


When You're Rich, You Sold Yourself For This

by orphan_account



Series: Doin' It For The Fame [1]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Band Fic, M/M, Polyamory, Recreational Drug Use, Slow Build, basically Michael smokes a little weed. it's legal in California, famous au, famous!michael - Freeform, there will be homophobia in future chapters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-13
Updated: 2015-10-16
Packaged: 2018-04-09 04:20:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 17,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4333626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Michael Jones, a big name in both the music and film industry, spends much too much time on the internet. When he falls head over heals for his friends online, should he tell them who he is? Or keep up the charade of being a normal person?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I'm In Love With My Own Sins

**Author's Note:**

> I've gone way too deep into this AU and someone needs to save me. I have so many little headcannons about famous!Michael, and i'm trying to pull them all together in this fic.  
> Thank you to Chu, for allowing me to spam her with this AU for the past week or so.

****

As the light shines in Michael’s eyes and he fought to see, he fought to breathe. He screamed and screamed, as everyone around him did the same. He couldn’t believe where he was or what he was doing. He couldn’t believe this is what his life had become, that he deserved this.

He sang his lungs out, clutching his microphone stand as if it was a lover’s hand and he was dying. Their band’s logo shined in bright clear letters above their heads, strobe lights flashing, his band mates were dancing back and forth across stage as they played.  

This was his element, this was where he was meant to be.

As they finished the final song of the concert, Michael chanted the last lines, and the lights calmed down.

“Thank you San Diego!” Michael yelled into his microphone and took a step back, taking in the sight around him. The crowd hadn’t stopped jumping, shouting. However the screams had turned into a chant,

“Encore! Encore!” Michael glanced offstage to his manager, Burnie, shaking his head; He knew Michael too well.  Michael yelled another “Thank you!” into the mic and retreated off stage in a flash of light with the rest of his bandmates.

After a 3 hour bus ride, Michael was back home in his Los Angeles apartment. He loved doing shows close by so he didn’t have to stay in a hotel over night. The entire band agreed, no more overnight bus rides, sleeping on that thing was next to impossible.

Michael threw his keys on the table by the door and kicked off his shoes. He walked almost on autopilot to his bed. He was so exhausted after shows, not to mention it was nearly five in the morning now; he had to up for practice first thing tomorrow.

Michael groaned as he stripped down to his boxers, brushed his teeth, and crashed into his bed.

Practicing with the band never felt very much like a job. It always felt more like he was just hanging out with his friends and making music; that doesn’t mean it didn’t tire him out though. When Michael got home afterwards, he was always beat. He grabbed a bottle of beer out his fridge and all but fell onto his couch, turning on his Xbox.

His band mates were huge partiers. They went out every weekend, if not more. And after each practice they would go to the bar together, but Michael almost never joined in. He wasn’t much of a partier, he prefered his couch and some GTA online.

Michael drank his beer and checked twitter while the game loaded. He retweeted a few fans that were particularly funny and posted that’d he’d be playing online so people should keep an eye out for him.

When his shitty internet finally connected him to a server he immediately joined into a random job, just excited to shoot his gun and make some money. He wanted to buy a new car.

The game put him in a lobby with five other people in it. It was a bigger, more complicated mission, so the chances of them succeeding as just six random people on the internet, was slim to none.  He sipped his beer as the session loaded and he flipped through the other player’s avatars. There were four other guys and one woman. Suddenly, the game began, it started with them behind a warehouse and they had to drive to a location across town and take out a few small-time dealers. Piece of cake.

The mission went of without a hitch, they all worked together as if it had been planned ahead of time. With a few funny moments like crashing cars Michael wished he’d been in a chat with the others so they could talk.

The next screen was the option to load another game with the same group or to go back to free play mode. All five other guys chose another mission; Michael had so much fun in the last one, that he decided to hop over with them. By now he could tell they all knew each other and he was a sixth-wheel, the worked with such coordination that they must be talking in a party, but he didn’t care.  As next game loaded, Michael grabbed another beer from the fridge.

As expected this mission went smoothly too; along with the next 4 missions they played together. He didn’t even realize how late it had gotten until he received a few friend requests from the guys he’d played with and a message from “JackP”:

_Thanks for playing with us, we needed a sixth person to get some achievements. Hopefully we can play with you again soon!_

Michael smiled, they seemed really funny and he definitely wanted to play with them more. He accepted all five friend requests, shot a quick reply back,  and turned off his Xbox.

* * *

Michael shifted in his seat; the lights they had pointed at the four of them were outrageously large for just a simple interview, and he was sweating like a bullet.

Interviews were definitely Michael’s _thing_. Well, singing was Michael’s thing, but interviews were his _other_ thing. He’d always been a people person, very charismatic whenever eyes were on him.

“So who would you say is the most talented of the group?” The woman asked, off camera.

Michael immediately jumped on the question. “Well Andrew and Kerry are definitely the best writers.” Michael put a hand on Andrew’s, his best friend’s, shoulder. “They always writes the most amazing songs, all our number one hits.” Michael paused, thinking. “And Dylon,” He pointed his thumb to his other band mate on his left. “I bet you didn’t know this, but Dylon is an amazing artist. He designs most of our merch actually.” Michael beamed at the camera, he was honestly so lucky to be surrounded by such talented people. He would never be able to comprehend how lucky they got; just four idiots from New Jersey with a few cheap instruments and a mostly empty garage.

“Nah, Michael is the most talented for sure.” Andrew said.

“Oh agreed.”

“Absolutely, he’s such a busy guy between the band and his acting on and off; but, somehow he still manages to impress us everyday.” Kerry beamed.

Michael pulled an exaggerated betrayed face, speechless.

The interviewers laughed loudly from behind the camera, clearly happy with the results of the question. “So, adorable, talented, and humble! Wow, Michael, you’re just the full package!”  

“Nah.” Michael said; he crossed his arms and leant back in the chair. “They’re all lying bastards.” Sure, what Kerry had said was true, he was a busy guy and had recently started doing some voice acting. But, he’d never let it take away from his music career.

“Oh I don’t think so,” The woman leant closer to him, evidently trying to flirt while also doing her job. “We’ve all heard you sing, you really are amazingly talented.” Her voice lowered significantly, yeah she was definitely trying to seduce Michael.

His bandmates were going to make fun of him for this later for sure, great.

* * *

“Are you fucking kidding me Gavin?” Michael all but screamed into the mic on his headset. Xbox Live parties had become a regular thing with the guys; they’d begun hanging out nearly every other day. Even if they weren’t really playing anything; most of the time they’d get in a GTA session together and just fuck around while they talked. “Legs can’t just forget they’re legs! They don’t even have brains!” Michael smiled while he yelled, he’d never admit it, but he may have developed feelings for this miss matched group of idiots.

“No no! Hear me out!-”

“Youre fucking stupid!” Geoff giggled; Michael fought a blush at the sound.

Gavin huffed and attempted to shoot Geoff in the head in the game, but Ryan came up behind him and killed him with a knife. Michael watched the events unfold and everyone laughed.

For once in his life, Michael was thankful he hadn’t bought a better headset; his microphone was so shitty, no one would ever be able to recognise his voice. The guys could never find out who he was. To them, he was just a regular guy, with a regular job, that played video games in the evenings. He was just Michael; and if they ever found out he was Michael Jones... They would never treat him the same. Not to mention, they’d resent him for never telling them; he’d known them for over a month now, meaning he’d been lying to them for that long too. He was in too deep.

“You guys want to switch to Destiny? I’m getting pretty bored of GTA.” Ray pulled him from his thoughts. .

“Sounds good to me.” Michael said and closed out of the game.

Hollywood parties were a regular in Michael’s life. There was nothing he hated more than a crowd, and that’s basically what these parties were, just a giant, drunk crowd. Michael and his band were sat in the VIP lounge; he would have left already, but someone pre-paid for all their drinks and even brought some weed for them.

His bandmates were havin a ball, this was their element. Michael could turn his charisma on and off, but they seemed to always be in the mood for a party.

Michael glanced around the smoke-filled room, it was full of big-name celebrities, movie stars, executives, and other musicians. A few years ago, this would have made Michael extremely nervous; but by now, Michael was completely numbed to it. He used to love it, He’d be star-struck and attempt to talk to everyone in the room. But lately all he could think about were those five idiots in Texas; he wished they could be here with him. His band was good company of course, Michael just wasn’t sure if he fit in with them anymore. They were his best friends though... right? Was he spending too much time with them lately?

“Hello? Earth to Michael.” Andrew passed him the blunt, it was his turn. Michael took it and appologised for spacing out again; he took a long hit, hoping to get high enough that the party might be fun. “What’s wrong with you lately?” Andrew asked.

“I don’t know what you mean.” Michael lied, blowing out the smoke.

“You’ve been spacing out a lot lately. And you missed three practices in the last two weeks. Its not like you, dude.” It was true, he’d slept through those practices because he’d been up all night on skype or Xbox with the guys.

“Sorry man.” Michael hit the joint one last time, before passing it to Kerry.

“You finally get a girl or something?” Kerry asked, when Michael chose to blow out his smoke in lieu of an answer, he added “Or a guy?” Michael wished it was just one guy... How was he supposed to explain that he had a crush on not one, but five guys. Michael still didn’t respond, they took it as a ‘yes’.

“Ahh shit, Mikey’s got himself a man.” Dylon teased, laughing over his drink. Michael took a long swig of the whiskey in front of him, not even caring if it was his or not.

“Well...” Michael started and it just set them all off, laughing. Michael was getting frustrated. “I’ve been hanging out with these guys on Xbox for a while.”

“So you got yourself an internet boyfriend?”

Michael swallowed. “It’s... not really that simple”

“What do you mean?” Andrew asked.

“They’re uh... _alreadydating_ ” Michael slurred his words together, hoping this conversation would just end already.

“What?”

“ _They?_ ”

“What the _fuck_ Michael.”

The blunt had made its way around and back to Michael, He took and let them try to work it out on their own. He really wanted to eject from this conversation.

“So you got yourself some internet bitches, multiple internet bitches.”

“I guess?” Michael said, cringing at the terminology. “But they’re already dating and it's not like I can just jump in.”

“Sure you can.” Michael simply shook his head, taking another hit. The guys already had a good thing going for them. There was no way he could just join their relationship, he’d ruin it for sure. Plus, they probably didn’t even have feelings for him. He was just a random guy on the internet to them. They were all so caring and loving, it was evident every time he talked to them all together. “You’re Michael _fucking_ Jones, you can do whatever the fuck you want.”

“Wait, how many people are we talking?”

Michael blushed, “Five...” He said quietly, it was almost indistinguishable over the loud music.

The roar of “FIVE?!” that followed only made Michael more embarrassed; he blushed into his drink. “You really like them don’t you?” Andrew half-taunted, half-smiled next to him. Michael nodded. “Do they know who you are?”

And, there it was, the big question Michael wished he didn’t have to deal with. No, they didn’t they hopefully never would. “No,” Michael said, looking at the floor.

“They’re going to find out you know... right?” Michael ignored the harsh truth and lit a second joint. He filled his lungs to the brim with it’s poison; He was going to go crazy if he was sober for one more minute.

* * *

Michael couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t _breathe!_ He clutched his guitar like a life-line. It was their first big gig and they were in Miami, Florida; They stood just off stage waiting for the openers to finish. But michael couldn’t even hear their music, all he could think about was how big that god-damn stage was and how many people are in the audience. The venue was, essentially, a huge field with their massive stage set up on one side.

Michael swore he’d never seen a crowd so big, and they were all there for him... He was gonna be sick.

“You ready, buddy?” Andrew slung his arm over Michael’s shoulders, faking confidence, but Michael could see how hard he was gripping his drumsticks.

“Hardly,” Michael huffed out. “I think i’m gonna be sick.” And to be fair, he looked a little green.

“You say that every time we perform.”

“This isn’t our usual gig, and you know it.”

Andrew rubbed the back of his head, shifting his weight back and forth. “Remember our first ever show?” Michael smiled.

“Yeah, in Kerry’s mom’s backyard.”

“There were like three and a half people there!” Andrew chuckled. “And two of them were his parents.”

Michael laughed, looking down at his guitar. It was the same he used back then; nothing fancy. Their manager tried to get him to buy a new one a few months ago, but Michael refused. He liked to stay connected to his roots.

He could do this.

The opening band came running off stage, giving them the good to go. The band all turned to him, It was time. Michael ran out on stage first, his best friends following a minute behind.

“Hello Miami!” Michael shouted into the mic. The lights flashed bright and Michael had an off-hand thought: he couldn’t see the stars.

* * *

From across the room Michael heard the rigging of a new skype call. Michael grinned, he’d been waiting for the guys to get home from work; It had become habit for them to call him almost every evening. They’d begun to feel more like family than his band.

Michael sat on his couch, pulling his laptop into his lap, and hit answer, making sure to click audio only. “Hey guys,” They were used to this, Michael never used video; they were actually under the impression that Michael’s camera was broken. In reality, he just couldn’t show his face to them, they would recognise him immediately.

“What’s up, Michael” Ryan was on screen. “How was your day?”

“Not bad, kinda boring.” Their practice today had ended early because Kerry was sick, and they couldn’t do much without their bass player. Michael had spent most of the day at home, he had thought about going out but it was always a hassle when he had to maneuver around paparazzi. “What about you?”

“It sucked; seemed like every thing we tried to film, crashed.”  Now, Michael could see just how tired Ryan looked; he had dark bags under his eyes and sat with his shoulders slumped forward, as if he was too tired to sit up.

“I’m sorry.” Michael apologised sincerely.

“It’s not your fault.”

“No, but it is your fault, Ryan.” Gavin’s voice came from off camera. “You just had to play those shite PC games.”

“Hey now! PC games aren’t shite!” Ryan defended, now turned towards Gavin to his right.

“I didn’t say PC is shite! I said the games you picked are!” Michael could hear the vinegar in Gavin’s voice; but he laughed, they had this argument just about every other week.

“Those games were quality! If the office had more powerful computers and a half decent internet connection, they’d have run fine!”

“That’s a dream if i’d ever heard one!” Gavin retorted.

Michael spaced out of their conversation, it didn’t seem like it would end any time soon. He noticed Geoff in the background, behind Ryan, who was now mostly off screen. Geoff walked forward, towards the camera, and sat next to Ryan. “Hey Michael.” He smiled.

“Hey Geoff.” Michael felt his cheeks heat up, thankful that he wasn’t on video.  “How are you?”

“Better than these two apparently.” Geoff pointed his thumb at the idiots, still arguing. “So we were talking, is there any way you can make it down to Austin sometime soon? We’d really love to film some videos with you.”

“Uhh,” Michael knew this was inevitable; as soon as he found out what they did for a living, he knew they’d ask him to join for a video. “I don’t know...”

“The company can pay for the plane ticket, if that’s the problem”

Michael almost laughed, he could afford a thousand plane tickets to Austin; money definitely wasn’t the problem. But he couldn’t tell Geoff that. ‘I don’t know, Geoff. I’m just a really busy guy.”

“Busy?!” Gavin sputtered off screen, “Please! you’re always home! I swear all you do is drink beer and play video games.” Michael glanced to his coffee table where a handful of empty beer bottles sat next to his Xbox and PS4 controllers.

“That’s not... all I do.” Michael honestly had no defense to that, if the band wasn’t on tour and there wasn’t a movie lined up for him, video games and practice was about his entire life.

“Uh-huh. Just think about it, buddy.” Geoff smiled and Michael’s heart almost broke, “We’d really like to have you.”

The camera flashed, The professional photographer they’d hired spouted bullshit as Michael and the band stood awkwardly in front of a plain white background. They were all dressed in fancy clothes, meant to look rich. It really wasn’t their usual style, they were usually the punk, grunge type. However, their manager, Burnie, insisted its the direction  they need for the moment. Michael wasn’t so sure.

“Ok now, Kerry and Dylon, can you rest your arms on Michael’s shoulders?” Michael sighed.

After another fifteen minutes of the strangest photoshoot they’d done, Michael couldn’t help but ask. “So, why are we doing a new shoot anyway?”

Burnie, standing behind the photographer, smiled. “I have a surprise you boys actually.”

Michael looked at Andrew, and he looked just as confused. “What?” Dylon asked tentatively.

“Tour!” He shouted. “You’re going on tour!”

Nobody was impressed, “Yeah, no shit, we’ve been planning it since January.” Dylon grumbled.

“No, you don’t get it. We’re going on tour _next week_.”

“What?!” No, that can’t be right, they were planning on it being months from now. There was still so much to do, they only had half the set list together... Michael and Andrew were still writing what was going to be their new single...

“It got approved, and everything came together much sooner than I thought.”

“Aparently.” Michael retorted. Burnie glared at him.

“Well what are we gonna play? The new album isn’t even released yet...”

“Don’t worry, it’s a small tour, only 10 shows in America and Canada. You’ll play all the number one hits and we’ll pick one new song from the album to play as a finale. it’ll be fine.”

“I think your definition of small and mine are significantly different.” Michael mumbled.

“Well where’s the first stop?” Kerry asked.

“Austin, Texas.” Burnie smiled, and everyone turned to look at Michael, who was pretty sure his world had just shattered.

The photographer's camera flashed; Michael almost punched him.

It had been five days since they found out about the tour; it had been five days of work and panic. They had so much to do, between wardrobe, the set list, stage rehearsals, technical prep, choreography... And all that was on top of their usual practice. Michael was sure his feet were going to fall off; either that or his head would explode.

Their plane left tomorrow morning  at ten and he finally got a few hours of peace and rest, until they had to leave. It was only nine at night, but Michael thought he was about to pass out.

The worst part was, He hadn’t had time to talk to his bois since he got the news of the tour. He’d barely had enough time to eat and sleep, let alone skype with them. However, he’d texted them when he could. They’d kill him if he just dropped off the radar entirely; of course they wanted to know why he was suddenly so busy, and Michael didn’t completely lie. He told them work was busier than usual, some things had been moved up and he had to take care of them. Which isn't exactly a lie; it just wasn’t the truth.

“Hey Michael!” Ray greeted him when he called them. A chorus of “hello’’s followed.

“Hey, guys.”

“How’s work?” Jack asked.

“Ugh, busy.” Michael groaned. “I’m so tired, I can only hang out for a bit then i’m gonna crash for the night.”

“Thats ok, Wanna play a round of Call Of Duty or something?” Ray asked.

“Sure.” Michael turned on his Xbox and listened to the banter between the guys off camera.

Michael wished he could just be there with them. He wanted to sit next to Ray when they played COD; he wanted to join in when they all piled on to the couch together so they could all be on camera. He wanted to go to work with them and play video games all day long.

But mostly, he wanted to be able to see them when he was in Austin. He was going to be in their town in less than twenty-four hours, and it would be amazing to just get a drink with them and hang out like normal people.

Michael shifted his attention from the game, to his friends on the laptop. He smiled sadly at Ray focused intensely on the tv behind the camera. Geoff and Gavin were half wrestling, half making out just barely on camera while Jack and Ryan were cuddling on the other side of Ray, watching him play. Michael would never have what they had, and for once he felt like ending the call just giving up. What was the point of spending all his time and energy on these guys, if they could never know who he was? They’ll never feel the same for him as he felt for them, this whole thing was pointless.

And yet, he couldn’t seem to leave; he couldn’t stop talking to them. He wanted to tell them everything and likewise get to know everything about them. Michael realized that he was completely head-over-heals; all musicians had their drug, for some it was coke, for other is was heroine. For Michael, his drug of choice was these five men from Texas. 

“Michael?”

“Hm?” He was pulled from his thoughts.

“You ok? you went quiet thee for a while.” Jack asked. He looked so concerned; Michael almost believed it.

“Yeah, i’m just really tired.” Michael faked a yawn, then actually yawned. He really was tired. “I think i’m gonna go to bed.”

“Alright,” Jack looked sad to see him go. “Good night.”

“G’night boi!” Gavin piped up from underneath Geoff; followed by everyone else.

Michael replied quietly and ended the call; he turned off his Xbox and headed towards his bedroom. However, he paused by his front door, where his suitcases lay. With a hollow gaze, he looked at the luggage like it was the reason for all his problems. Tomorrow he would be Austin; he’d be so close to his bois... Maybe, if they found out, it wouldn’t be so bad...

Michael took in a sharp breath and ignored the empty feeling in his chest; No, they could never find out. He climbed into bed, alone, trying to ignore how cold the room felt.

The next day, Michael took a sip of his Sprite, his stomach felt like it was doing somersaults. There’s nothing he hated more than tour buses. However, he wasn’t sure if he felt sick from the drive, or from the fact that he was so close the guys.

Their plane had landed a few hours ago and were currently on their way to the Austin360 Amphitheater where the show was going to be. Logically, Michael knew he should be thinking about the tour and practicing the newer songs but all Michael could think about was his bois.  He remembered they said that today was going to be a long day of filming, so they wouldn’t be out of the office until late. They probably wouldn’t leave until halfway through Michael’s show; so he was safe until then. Hopefully, they would be tired and opt to go straight home after work, instead of out to drinks like they did most Fridays.

“So Michael,” Kerry began “Did you finally tell your boy-toys that you’d be in town?”

Michael rolled his eyes at the nickname and sighed, shifting in his seat, obviously nervous. “No, if everything goes as planned, we’ll be in and out of this city, and never see them.”

“Come on man, you really don’t want to see them?” Dylon asked while running through tonight’s set on his guitar.

“What _I_ want doesn’t matter.” Michael huffed.

Michael ducked quickly when Kerry threw his empty bottle at him. “That’s the most teenage emo thing you have ever said, and you’re in a fucking _punk band_.” Everyone laughed, and for just a minute Michael could forget his worries.

* * *

“And here with us today, we have grammy award winning, Michael Jones!” Michael stood awkwardly on the red carpet; he wasn’t used to doing interviews alone, he missed his band. Not to mention he was far beyond his comfort zone; he was at the oscars for heaven's sake! “Now, you’re nominated for Best Animated Feature for your role as _Blue_ in Disney’s _‘The Tales of Blue Powell’_. What are you thinking about tonight?” Madeline asked. Madeline? At least Michael was pretty sure that was her name; He’d been interviewed three times already on his trek down the red carpet. Sadly, he wasn’t even half way to the doors and there was still an ass-load of reporters waiting for him.

Michael smiled, “Really, i’ve just been thinking about my band. Its strange to do anything without them; we’re such close friends.” Which was mostly true, Michael hated lying in interviews.

“That’s so sweet, What do you think they’d say if they were here right now?”

“Honestly, they’re probably tell me I look stupid in this tux.” Michael gestured to his get-up; which was extraordinarily uncomfortable. “It’s not my usual style.”

“And what would you say is your usual style, Michael?”

“I’m more of a jeans-and-tshirt kind of guy; usually a tshirt from a band or a video game.”

The reporter looked at him like that was the dumbest thing he could have said. Michael never really had that ‘Hollywood style’ and, frankly, he really didn’t care. “Great!” She said with obviously fake inflation. “Now this isn’t your first movie, am I correct?”

“Yeah I’ve done a little voice acting here and there, between tours it’s actually pretty fun. I really enjoy it!”

“But you always seem to be voice acting, when are we going to get to see that adorable face on camera? Huh?”

Michael chuckled, he’d asked the same thing before. “I don’t know! It’s like people only want me for my voice I guess!”

“I think everyone knows there are people that more than just your voice.” She winked as if that was the wittiest joke she’d made in her life. “Well Thank you so much for your time, Michael, and I wish you the best of luck tonight!” There was really no point, the movie was a Disney movie, and everyone knows Disney always wins Best Animated Feature.

But Michael bit back his retort. “Thank you as well.” He smiled to the camera and moved on to the next reporter. This one looked so thirsty for him, Michael forced himself not to laugh.

* * *

 

There was no reason to be so nervous; he’d done at least one hundred concerts before, if not more, and this wasn’t even the biggest yet. However, he was surprised at the amount of people here to see them; considering tickets had only been on sale for less than a month. No matter the seat count, Michael was freaking out and he couldn’t seem to shake it. There hadn’t been any time to relax since they got off the bus; they’d immediately been rushed on to stage for lights and sound checks. then made to run through everything, what felt like, twenty more times. Michael was pretty sure he was going to explode.

However Michael stood, stone-faced, behind the walls, waiting for his cue to run onto stage. Tech had really impressed them this year and made, essentially, a door on the back wall of the stage that they would walk through every time they were to enter. or exit. So, michael stood right in the center, his manager had already given the cue and in 3... 2... 1...

The door slowly opened and the crowd roared, even though with lighting, all they could see was his silhouette. Michael began playing, strumming the first chords of their opener, and the crowd got even louder. He made his way upstage to his mic and the rest of the band followed behind him. With one deep breathe, Michael forced any negative emotions he was feeling down and sang like his life depended on it.

Sometimes Michael wasn’t always sure he made the right decision; when he stepped outside to fifteen cameras pointed at him, or when he was constantly making sure the people around him weren’t only there for the money. Sometimes he wished he hadn’t quit his electrician job when he was nineteen; sometimes Michael wished he hadn’t pursued music at all. But none of that mattered the second he was on stage, singing. Once there was a microphone in front of him, and a guitar in his hands, Michael knew he made the right decision. This was where he was meant to be.

Michael had never been a fan of parties; he liked them before he was famous, when he could enjoy them, but now it was only about press and Michael felt they had lost their glamour. But after every show, Michael agreed to get drinks with the band in celebration. The only condition being that it wasn’t a fancy place, just a nice dive bar with minimal reporters and sports on the tv. That was how Michael liked it.

However, tonight was a different story. He’d planned on going straight to the hotel from the concert, but his friends had other plans.

“Seriously Michael, what’s the chance they’ll be at the same bar?”

“High actually, they always go out on Fridays.”

“But we found this really small bar just a few blocks away, i’ve heard great reviews. It’s exactly the type of place you like.”

“I don’t know guys, I was just going to go back to the hotel and play some Animal Crossing or something.”

“Oh my god you’re such a loser,” Andrew grabbed his arm and began pulling him towards the bus. “You’re coming with us, you’re going to have a drink and enjoy yourself.”

“But-”

“Nope, no buts.” And suddenly, he was on the bus and headed away from the concert.

Michael was sure he’d never consumed so much alcohol in his life. Turns out the manager of the bar they went to was a fan, and kept giving them more and more drinks. For at least an hour, Michael’s entire world was pictures with fans and drink after drink after drink. He’d chugged at least three beers, downed several whiskeys, and more shots than he knew existed, even a few body shots.

Michael gave credit where credit is due, and thanked his friends for getting him to come. Finally it was quieting down, a lot of the fans had left and Michael faintly realized it had to be at least two in the morning. But another rum and Coke had just been pushed into his hand by the bartender and he didn’t even have to ask if it was paid for or not.  

Andrew slid into the barstool next to him, fresh from a game of pool. “Told you this place would be awesome” He slurred.

“Alright alright, I’m here aren’t I?” Michael made a huge motion, drunkenly, and almost knocked his drink over.

“See that’s your problem.” Andrew hiccuped. “You’re always such a buzzkill!”

Michael smiled, they’d been friends for so long that “Buzzkill” wasn’t even an insult anymore. “And fuck you too!” They cheered glasses and took a long drink. Michael laughed, and looked around the room. The place was busy, but it was impossible to tell if that was a common occurrence or if it was because they were there tonight. Most people were gathered in groups around tables or booths, the bar itself was filled. Pretty much everyone that wanted a picture or an autograph had moved on to spend time with their friends.

However, Michael noticed one group that he hadn’t talked to yet. They were sitting half way across the room, crowded around a middle table. Michael tried not to make eye contact as all of them were staring at him. This is how it always went when he got noticed in public; usually, they’d see Michael first and would talk about him and stare at him for five or ten minutes while they worked up the courage to come ask for an autograph.

But this time was different, Michael knew he know those faces from somewhere, he just couldn’t place it. It was a group of five men, all in their twenties or thirties, where could Michael know them fro-

Fuck.

Michael was fucked. _Shit Shit Shit._

“Andrew!” Michael spun around to the bar and hissed at his friend. “I fucking told you I couldn’t go out.” Andrew looked extremely confused, and very, very drunk. “I hate you so much, oh my god.”

“Dude, what the fuck are you talking about?” Andrew slurred.

“It’s _them_. They’re here.” Michael risked a glance over to the table and noticed Ray and Gavin standing up. “Fuck.” He muttered.

A sudden realization washed over Andrew, “Ohhh, okay I got you, buddy. I’ll be your wingman.”

“Wingman?!” Michael missed. “No, no Andrew, just shut up and don’t say anythi-”

“Hello?” He heard Ray say to his right; Michael would know that voice anywhere, He’d watched hours and hours of Ray’s streams, wishing he could talk to him without a computer separating them.

Michael spun around, trying to act as casual as possible. Maybe they won’t figure it out! “Hey!” He turned on his fame-face as if this were any other fan.

“Hey, uhm,” Ray was so cute when he got nervous; Michael noticed Gavin standing just behind, looking equally as anxious. “My friend Tina is a huge fan of yours, and she’d kill me if I didn’t get a picture with you. Do you mind?” He gestured to his phone.

Thankfully, behind him, Andrew had already forgotten about the wingman promise. He was completely wasted, Michael idly thought he’d probably have to drag him to his hotel tonight.

“Not at all!” Michael jumped off his barstool and posed with Ray, casually putting his arm around him as if it wasn’t causing him massive emotional pain. Gavin snapped a picture of them together, letting out an exclamation of “Class!” when he got it.

They separated and Ray took his phone back from his boyfriend. They didn’t seem to suspect anything yet, but Michael really hoped they would just walk away now. “Thanks so much!” Ray smiled.

“No problem.” Michael replied.

“Are you guys in town for a concert or-?” Gavin asked. _Come on Gav, don’t do this._

“Yeah, we just left a show at Austin360 actually.” _Please Please Please just walk away!_

Suddenly, Michael noticed Geoff, Jack and Ryan walking up behind Gavin and Ray. _God damnit._ Michael thought. “Hey man, can we buy you a drink or something?” Jack asked.

“Uh,” Michael held up his rum and Coke that was almost finished. He’d been drinking all night, but suddenly he was feeling much too sober. “I’m good, but thanks. I’m sufficiently bev’d.” Michael smiled until he realized he’d used slang that he technically shouldn’t know; maybe he wasn’t quite as sober as he thought.

“Ha! See Geoff!” Gavin jumped with excitement. “Other people use the word ‘bev’!” But, everyone else seemed skeptical, especially Ryan and Ray, being they’re sober.

“You know...” Ryan said, in a voice that Michael knew. It was the voice Ryan had when he was up to something, or figuring something out. This was not good news for Michael. “Your voice sounds pretty familiar...”

Michael laughed nervously, “Yeah I get that a lot.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s probably the voice acting, the movies.”

“No... It’s something else...” Jack said.

This was it; this was the end of it. His lie had run out... Michael quickly glanced around at each of their faces. They had nearly all put it together. Ray, Ryan, and Geoff looked almost offended. Jack just looked bewildered; and Gavin was still in a state of confusion.

Maybe if Michael just ran, right now, things would still work out in his favor.

“No shit...” Geoff said quietly.

“Michael? Michael... Jones? You’re not MlpMichael are you?” Ryan asked.

Michael was sweating bullets, he realized he probably looked like a deer in headlights. They must have gotten their answer just from his face; Michael finished off his whiskey in one gulp. He turned and grabbed the whiskey out of Andrew’s hand; finishing it for him.

“Hey!”

“I’ll pay you back.”

“Don’t bother, asshole, it was free.” Andrew flagged down the bartender, about to ask for another. Michael stared at the empty glass, unsure what to say. _‘Surprise?’ ‘Sorry I didn’t tell you, i’m kinda famous?’_

“Excuse me?” A small voice asked next to him. A group of three women were standing to his right, in tshirts with his face and logo on them. “Is t-there any way we can take a- a picture with you?” They looked so nervous, two of them were giggling.

Michael, happy for the temporary distraction, immediately put on his fame-face and jumped off the bar stool. “Absolutely!” He smiled a killer smile, just to make the girls woozy.

The brunette girl that had spoken, handed her phone to the man behind her, most likely her friend or date, and they all gathered around Michael. He could feel five pairs of eyes burning holes in his back.

As soon as the girls got their picture, they left, and Michael was left to face some of his closest friends... Friends he’d been lying to for months. “So... uh, hi.” _They’re gonna hate me. They’re gonna hate me, oh god._

“ _Hi?!_ ” Roared Geoff, and Michael visibly flinched.

 _Might as well get this over with..._ “Can we do this somewhere quieter?” Michael had to yell over the music. No one responded, which he took as a ‘yes’. He began to lead them outside, but he knew paparazzi were waiting for him out front.

Thankfully, Jack said “Follow me” and lead the group through the back, to a small patio. It was a chilly night so no one was out there. This must be a bar they frequent, because Michael would never have known this area was here. Everyone stared at Michael like he was an alien, not sure what to say. It was the most awkward moment of Michael’s life, the only noise being the dull roar of the music inside.

“Uh... Surprise?” Michael cringed.

“Fucking ‘Surprise’?! That’s all you have to say?!” Geoff was furious, rightfully so.

“Sorry.. I...” Michael trailed off, he had no idea what to say.

“Boi, why didn’t you just tell us?” Gavin’s eyes were wide, he still didn’t fully believe it. To be fair, there were days where Michael didn’t fully believe his life, himself.

“I dont know... It’s complicated.” He received nothing but blank glares back at him. “I don’t know how to explain! What do you want me to say!?” Michael exploded, pent up frustration bubbling to the surface. “I’m sorry! I didn’t think it was important for you to know!”

“You didn’t think it was fucking important that you’re world famous?!” Ryan cracked.

“I- That’s not it!”

“Then what _is_ it? Stop lying.” Ray asked.

“I- I was afraid you’d treat me different! Plus, I didn’t know how to tell you! I was in too deep, too quick, and I didn’t even realize I was lying!” Michael took a deep breath, “I mean, how the fuck was I supposed to tell you? ‘Oh by the way my last name is Jones. As in Michael Jones, front man of the most popular, punk-rock band in America.’?”

“Yeah, that would have fucking worked!”

“Your camera on your laptop isn’t even broken is it?” Gavin asked.

“I mean...” Michael looked at the ground. “Not really.”

“I knew you were catfishing us.” Ray mumbled with a smile; Michael had to repress his chuckle.

“You know, in the hours we’ve talked and joked around on the internet, I never would have pegged you for a real-life asshole, Michael Jones.” Geoff was pissed; Michael was sure he’d never seen someone so angry, so betrayed. Geoff stormed back into the bar, leaving a silence behind him.

Jack sighed, “I’ll go get him.” He paused on his way inside, looking at Michael. “To be fair, its nice to see you in person.” Michael smiled, Jack was always so kind-hearted, Michael loved that about him.

“Jack please, we’re supposed to be mad at him.” Ray said, and everyone laughed a little. The tension in the air lifted significantly. They all headed back into the bar after Jack, to the table they had been sitting at before. Geoff was no where to be seen and Jack began looking for him. Ryan, Gavin, Ray, and Ryan took their seats around the small table; Michael stayed standing awkwardly, unsure if he was welcome or not. Likewise, he didn’t want to take Geoff’s or Jack’s seat.

“Here, Michael” Gavin stood back up, offering his chair to Michael.  “So how about that drink?”

“Fuck. Yes, please.” Michael groaned.

Gavin left to get a couple of beers, and soon enough Jack and Geoff returned. However, Michael did not fail to notice Geoff sitting across from him, silent and staring at him intimidatingly. Well, just about everyone at the table had their eyes on him, but he’d gotten used to people watching him by now; they were probably just getting used to having a face to his voice over the computer.

As Gavin returned with the beers, he took a sip and did his best to ignore Geoff’s harsh gaze.

“So where are you and your band staying?” Ryan asked

“Uh The Four Seasons, I think? We haven’t actually been to our hotel yet, it’s been so busy.”

Nearly everyone at the table choked on their drinks. “The fucking Four Seasons?!”

“Uh... yeah...?” Michael responded.

“Fuckin money bags over here.” Ray scoffed in a mocking tone.

Michael laughed, “If it were my choice, i’d pick somewhere much more low-key, but I just go where our manager tells me to. “

“Oh,” Ryan said sarcastically, “Your _manager_.” and rolled his eyes playfully.

Michael grumbled and sat back in his chair. “This is why I didn’t tell you assholes.” But he smiled anyway, and everyone laughed. Everyone but Geoff; he continued to stare at Michael with silent annoyance. Michael wasn’t sure whether to call him out on it or just let him cool off on his own.

“Anyway,” Jack began. “Would you like to come stay the night at our place? I was going to say it’s probably more comfortable than some hotel but... I don’t think we can compete with the Four Seasons.” Michael chuckled, but Geoff made a noise of disagreement, an indignant groan.

“Oh shut it.” Jack shut him down, not caring one bit about Geoff’s attitude.

“Yeah,” Michael nodded, hesitantly looking between the two. “I’d love to.” Geoff did not seem happy about this fact; it appeared Geoff’s grudge was going to last a little while. However, Michael suddenly realized he had nothing with him but his wallet and phone; all his luggage would be waiting for him in his room. “Shit, actually I kind of can’t? I have a plane to catch in the morning.”

Everyone, even Geoff, seemed to look a bit crestfallen. “You’re leaving again?” Gavin asked quietly.

“Yeah, I’m sorry boi. We’re on tour right now.” Michael frowned, they all seemed genuinely disappointed that he was leaving. “But it’s a short one!” He attempted to reassure them.  “And I should have some free time in about... three weeks?”

“Alright,” Ryan gave him a sad smile. “Well, the offer’s still there.”

“Hey, Michael.” Dylon stumbled up to their table. “We gotta go dude.” He grabbed a chair from a nearby table for support; Michael hadn’t seen him this drunk in quite a long time.

“What? Why? this place shouldn’t close for another hour.”

“Nah, Andrew just threw up outside; paps got everything on camera, we gotta get him to the hotel, man.”

“Why can’t you get Kerry to help you? I’m kinda, um, busy here.” Michael glanced around the table, all the faces staring at him, expectant.

“I haven’t seen him in hours, I think he left with some chick.”

“Fuck, okay.” Michael stood up, the whole group string at him, unsure how to say goodbye. Dylon headed outside, assuming Michael will follow him. “Sorry guys.” Michael frowned, he suddenly noticed that for the first time that day, he didn’t want to leave this city. Michael had just barely gotten time with his bois, leaving was going to hurt worse than he could have ever imagined.

“S’alright, text us, and maybe after your tour you can stop by again.” Jack smiled and stood up, wrapping Michael in the warmest hug he’d ever received; he was only making leaving harder. Michael hugged back, relishing in the warmth. As he pulled away, everyone else stood, everyone except Geoff.

“See ya later.” Ray smiled, at the same time Gavin said: “See ya, boi.”

Ryan made an aborted motion to hug him as well, before Geoff slowly stood. Michael smiled, maybe Geoff would swallow his annoyance in favor of a nice goodbye. “Bye Geo-”

“Go.” He said harshly, and crossed his arms.

Michael choked, “Geoff, please don’t do thi-”

“I said, go.” He refused. Michael nodded solemnly, and shoved his emotions down; his friend was sick outside and needed his help. Without another word, Michael turned and walked away; He was so stupid to think they cared. He was an idiot if he really believed they’d accept him for who he was.

As Michael left the bar, he received a blinding amount of camera flashes in his face. He thought about how many tabloids would now have pictures of him with red, puffy eyes, obviously forcing down tears. His publicist would not be happy with him tomorrow. “Michael!”

“Michael, are you aware of your friend’s drinking problem?”

“How long has Andrew been an alcoholic?”

He forced himself not to laugh at the reporter’s obvious lies. “Michael!” He heard Dylon yell, and saw the bus parked across the lot. He was coaxing Andrew inside, but he was fighting him on it; Drunk Andy was a force to be reckoned with. Michael sighed, it was going to be a long night.


	2. We Were Meant To Be Somebody

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you Chu for beta'ing! Sorry this took so long to publish, school got in the way. :P

_Break a leg!_

_You got this boi!_

_Don’t fuck up!_

_I hope you fall off the stage, it’ll liven up the morning news ;)_

Michael laughed and shoved his phone back into his pocket. Since the tour began and Michael’s secret was revealed, the guys had been texting him non-stop. Well, everyone except Geoff; Michael had tried everything, he’d sent Geoff at least twenty texts and called him multiple times. But, all his attempts  went unanswered.

It was sweet really, that they wanted to get to know him better, to learn everything about his life that he’d kept from them previously. Most of the time he was honestly too busy to answer, the tour was in full swing after all and there was hours of prep before each show. Not to mention all the travel time, Michael was getting incredibly sick of planes.

But this was his last show for a while; one more show and he was headed back to Austin.

“Alright assholes,” Burnie called their attention. He walked over to meet the rest of his band and the craft services table. “I’m going to say this now, because I know after the show you guys are gonna run off and i’m never going to see you again.” Andrew and Kerry laughed; Michael had overheard them planning a trip to a strip club tonight.

 _What happens in Vegas..._ Michael thought.

“If tonight goes off without a hitch, then I don’t want to see you guys for at _least_ three weeks. And what I mean by that is, I don’t want to see you anywhere; No press. I don’t care if it’s good press, bad press, nothing.”

“What?!” Dylon argued.  

“We need to lay low so that the album comes out as a bang.”

“How the fuck do you expect us to stay out of the press?” Michael roared, reporters were everywhere he went. By now, it was a part of his life that he’d accepted.

“I don’t care; a picture or two is one thing, but definitely no stories.” The group sighed, but accepted, it was going to be hard but apparently they had no choice. The group split back up, everyone preparing for their final show, but Burnie pulled Michael aside.

“Hey, Michael, hold up.”

“What’s up?” Michael was confused.

“I’m serious about staying out of the tabloids,” Michael rolled his eyes. “I mean it, for you especially. I’ve got some things lined up in the new year, for the band, but also for you.”

Michael glared, “What the fuck are you talking about, why are you being so cryptic?”

Burnie smiled, “Let’s just say there are some big names, that like your big name, and I’m working on setting some... things... up.”

“Wow, what an explanation, Burnie. Thank you. That clears everything up.” Michael was just being an asshole now. He figured it was probably another movie, but he wasn’t sure why Burnie was making such a big deal about.

“Whatever, just take a break kid, relax for a month. Now,” His manager lightly shoved him towards the bright lights, “shut the fuck up and get on stage.” They both chuckled and dropped the topic.

The concert went perfectly, of course, each man performing with even more enthusiasm because they were excited for their time off. They went out with a bang, and afterwards Michael collapsed in his hotel room with little to no grace, just barely managing to call Ray before he passed out.

“Hey Michael!” He greeted.

“Hey Ray.” Michael smiled from his position face-first into the pillow, and shoved the butterflies in his stomach down.

“You’re on speaker.” He chuckled, and said hello to everyone else. “How’d the show go?” He heard Ryan ask.

“Great.” He mumbled. “I think I’m dead.” The pillow muffled his voice significantly.

There was a chorus of laughter on the other side of the phone. Michael asked them about their day, and they chatted for a few more minutes about work before Michael fell asleep while still on the line.

Much sooner than Michael wished, his phone’s pre-set alarm blared from its place still on his cheek. And woke him from his dreamless sleep.

“mmgrrughh” Michael groaned and all but threw the rude object away from his face. Glancing at the time, he groaned again. It was five am; what ungodly human willingly woke up at five am? At least he’d have time to sleep on the plane...

_The plane._

MIchael sat bolt upright. He was going back to Austin; finally, after the tour from hell, he’d get to see his boys again.

  
  


Quickly, he jumped out of bed and got ready. Most of his things were already packed, considering he hadn’t even had time to unpack them. After brushing his teeth, he was out the door and calling a cab within ten minutes.

In just a few hours, he would get to see their faces again. He’d finally be able to play video games _in person_ with them. He would be able to to go out to dinner with them or maybe even go to their work!

There would no longer be a computer separating him from the men he... liked.

Michael shook the thought from his mind. This wasn’t about him. He had to get over these feelings, they weren’t healthy. Sure, he was a friend of theirs, but the five men were in a happy, loving relationship that didn’t (and would never) involve him. Michael had to accept that.

Thankfully Michael’s cab driver either didn’t recognise him, or didn’t care who he was. This was Vegas after all; the man has probably seen his fair share of celebrities. In fact, no one at the airport bothered him besides the usual stares, which Michael was beyond thankful for. He was so excited to get to Austin, that if a fan approached him right now it would probably end badly.

 

When the Plane finally started to descend, Michael started bouncing in his seat. It felt like he’d been waiting years for this moment.

It was safe to say Michael had never exited a plane faster in his lifetime; if a few elbows were thrown here or there, it was nobody’s business. There was someone he had to see, or rather, a few someones.

Clutching his carry-on, Michael all but ran through the airport. He followed the signs that led to baggage claim, grabbing his suitcase and guitar case the second he saw them. And as he turned the next corner, he expected to have to search for the guys and attempt to find them in the crowd.

But there they were, a group of completely disorganised men with massive signs, all grinning in apprehension. Gavin held a large pink sign that said “Some Bloke”, next to Ryan who’s yellow sign read “A Useless Rockstar” surrounded by badly drawn stars. Michael began to chuckle, before he noticed there was someone missing. Geoff was nowhere to be found.

Michael’s smile faltered, but none of them seemed to notice as Jack all but yelled “Michael!!!” and Ray came barreling towards him.

He tackled Michael at full speed from his place twenty feet away; Michael wavered on his feet but luckily didn’t fall. His bags dropped to the floor and he wrapped his arms around the smaller man. Michael hugged back with all his might; as he took a deep breath in, Michael couldn’t help but notice it smelled like home. Ray smelled like home.

When Ray released him, they joined the others and Michael hugged each of them as well. Jack and Ryan each immediately taking his bags from him. Michael would protest, but he didn’t want to ruin the moment.

“It’s nice to have you back” Jack said.

“It’s nice to be back,” Michael couldn’t help but grin, he’d missed these guys more than he ever thought possible.

“How was the flight?” Ryan asked.

Michael shrugged, “Not bad, it was only three hours.”

“That’s good.” Gavin piped in.

 

Michael rubbed the back of his neck, re-adjusting his carry-on backpack that he still held. “So, uh, where’s Geoff?” The question seemed to rush over the group like bad news. Each man stiffened, growing silent.

“He’s waiting for us at work.” Jack said, obviously trying to cover up the elephant in the room.

Michael still had a lot of apologizing to do; he shouldn’t have hid who he was. He knew now that it was the wrong way to go about things. However, geoff seems not to have moved on as well as Michael had. Michael simply nodded in response, unsure what he was supposed to say.

“Come on, let’s get out of here.” Ryan wrapped an arm around his smaller shoulders and pulled him forward, towards the doors.

Outside, Michael was immediately blinded by the bright light, he had been inside too long.

“Michael! Michael over here!” yelled a voice off to his left, that definitely did not belong to the friends that he was with.

The paparazzi. How on earth was he supposed to avoid them when they followed him everywhere he went? Michael could scream with frustration. The yelling didn’t stop, each of them repeated his name ten times, asking their usual ridiculous questions.

He held up his carry-on bag in front of his face, blocking out the photographers, before grabbing Ryan’s arm. He happened to be closest to Michael, so he forcefully pushed Ryan towards the parking lot.

“Where did you guys park?” Michael grunted.

Although the group looked extraordinarily confused, Jack managed to say “This way,” And step between Michael and a reporter that was walking towards them.

Michael felt so stupid, he should have warned the boys that this would happen, they were probably confused and scared out of their wits. Anyone being approached by eight strangers with cameras and microphones would be terrified, it was only reasonable.

He should have at least worn a disguise or _something_ , here he’d been lying to his closest friends for the longest time. Now, he was essentially throwing them into the lion’s den with nothing but a rare steak.

His manager was going to make _him_ into a rare steak if he didn’t get away from the paps soon.

God bless Jack, herding the group towards the car, and Gavin and Ray for leading them all. They only managed to hide their confusion slightly, but Michael appreciated it anyway. These guys were going to such far lengths for him; he didn’t deserve them.

Crossing the giant parking lot felt like it took hours, with photographers following them the whole way. However, once Michael was safe in his seat in their SUV, he could finally breathe.

Gavin threw himself into the seat next to him, “That happens every time you travel?” He asked incredulous.

Michael looked at him, defeated, and sighed internally. “That happens every time I leave my house, Gav.”

No one responded for a second, leaving that to sink in. Michael lived a very different life than the rest of them. It was easy to forget when he acted like the everyday gamer, but Michael was famous. _Incredibly_ famous. And that came with drawbacks.

“Damn.” Ray breathed.

"So are you coming to work with us, or do you want me to drop you off at the house?" Ryan asked.

Michael considered it, "I'll come to work with you, sounds great."

"Top! Michael, you _have_ to be in a few videos!" Gavin all but bounced in his seat.

"Yeah, I'd love to." Michael smiled. “Let’s just hope the paps don't follow us.”

Ryan smirked at Michael through the rear-view mirror. “Don’t worry, I can lose ‘em”

 

When Michael arrived at Rooster Teeth, he immediately caused a scene. The second he walked through the front door, everyone in the kitchen wanted a picture with him. But, Michael was used to this. He talked to everyone that approached him, trying to memorize all their names: Barb, Meg, Josh, Kyle and more. It was hard to keep track after a while.

But he definitely didn't miss the smug looks of pride on the faces of the four men behind him; as if they were showing him off like a shiny new toy.

However, Michael didn't seem to mind.

Eventually, they herded him over to the Achievement Hunter office. Inside, they found Geoff at his desk, headphones on and with his back to the door.  

"Hey Geoff," Gavin greeted, kissing him on the cheek as he passed.

Geoff pulled off his headphones. "Hey guys" He said to the group, never making eye contact with Michael. The sentiment was, very obviously, intended for everyone but him.

"Hey," Michael tried, he put as much regret and apology behind the single word as he could. But he wasn't sure it came off correctly.

Geoff turned back to his desk, without responding. Michael hadn't expected to argue with Geoff so soon. He knew it would happen sooner or later, but he'd barely been in Austin for an hour...

A fight with Geoff was inevitable, might as well get it over with.

"Really, you're still not gonna talk to me?" Michael held his arms open in a vulnerable gesture.

No response. The room had gone completely silent, the other guys too chicken to butt in. Ray actually looked like he was about to bolt out of the room at any second. Michael didn't blame him. He really hadn't expected Geoff to be this cold. He had a right to be upset, sure. But everyone else had forgiven him so quickly... Michael expected Geoff to move on by now.

"That's really childish, dude." Michael sighed loudly, he was playing it up, but he was absolutely tired of this shit between them. He hadn't spoken to the man in nearly a month. Michael genuinely missed him.

Geoff mumbled something incoherent  

"What?" Michael pressed.

Geoff spun around, standing up to face Michael, The anger very present on his face. "I said: what's childish, is lying to your closest friends."

Michael could scream, Geoff was so frustrating. "That was a month ago! I apologized! What else could you possibly want me to do?!"

Geoff crossed his arms. "I can fucking stand liers." To the whole room, it looked like Geoff was holding back from pouting.

Michael calmed his tone. "I'm sorry. I really am. I fucked up, but there's nothing else I can do. I can't change the past Geoff."

"He really is sorry" Jack had finally worked up the courage to stand up for Michael, but Geoff glared at him in response.

"I don't know what to do to fix this." Michael quieted, and lowered his gaze to the floor. "I miss you, I can’t stand this silence anymore."

Geoff stared at him mutely for a long moment. To Michael, it felt like years under this harsh gaze.

"Alright.” Geoff said with a firm glare, he was by no means over what happened, but he was trying to move on. “But from now on you have to tell us everything. And I mean _everything_." Geoff scanned the room for a second, his eyes softening on his boyfriends. "You're kind of really important to us... To me" his voice lowering on the last two words. "And when you lied... I just thought we were as important to you as you are to us." Geoff looked timid as he spoke, Michael could swear he was blushing a little.

Michael blinked "Of course you are!" He held his hands out in front of himself, apologetic. "It's because I cared about you guys that I thought I _couldn't_ tell you; I thought you'd stop seeing me as me. And only see me as a celebrity."

"You know we think of you as more than that, right?" Ryan sounded so heartbroken, Michael wished he could hold him. But sure, they saw Michael as more than just a famous friend, but they would never see him as _more than a friend_.

"Of course! I know that _now_." Michael turned back to Geoff. "I'm really sorry. Look you want me to tell you everything, I will. You already know I lived in New Jersey until I was twenty and moved to LA. My band and movies are public knowledge; you know that I play videos games. And now I'm on vacation for a month; that basically catches you up. My life is not that interesting."

"I'd beg to differ." Ryan commented and everyone chuckled.

Michael smiled. "Also, just the other day my manager told me I have to stay out of the press for a bit; apparently he has “big things” lined up."

"What 'things'?" Geoff looked confused.

"I don't know, he wouldn't tell me." Michael shook his head. "I think it's another movie."

"So basically you came to Austin to hide out for a little while..." Jack said.

Michael at least had the decency to look sheepish. "Maybe, partially." He smiled. "I just have to stay out of the public eye for a while." Michael shrugged, it wasn't the first time their manager had thrown them something like this, and it probably wouldn't be the last.

"So you can't be in any videos?" Ray whined.

Michael frowned, he hadn't thought about that. "I guess if they come out soon, and I mean in the next few days, it's probably fine."

Burnie could go fuck himself, he was going to have fun with the guys while he could.

He spent the whole day with them at work, recording. They filmed three full Let's Plays and one Things To Do. They only stopped at seven o'clock when their stomachs were growling far too much to record anything else that day.

“We should go out, to celebrate you being here!” Gavin suggested while they all packed up.

“Yeah!” Jack said “The bars in Austin are like nowhere else, we’ll take you around town!”

Michael grimaced, of course he wanted to go out with them. He wanted nothing more than to bar hop around the city all night; Michael  realized he may never tire of these five men. He’d go to the moon and back for them... just maybe not if there were paparazzi on the moon...  “I’m sorry guys, I can’t.” he paused, and watched as Gavin’s and Jack’s faces fell. He felt so guilty but there was nothing he could do, he really shouldn’t spend much time in the public eye. “It’s-”

“The paparazzi, we know.” Gavin snapped before turning back around to his computer.

Michael was taken aback. “Hey, what the fuck?” Michael reached out to Gavin and put his hand on his shoulder, turning him back around. “I’m sorry, but there’s nothing I can do.”

Gavin held back a scoff as Michael smiled. “How about we get pizza and bevs on the way home? My treat.”

Gavin seemed to perk up at that, and pulled away from Michael’s grip. “Good, because then i’ll have plenty of time to absolutely eviscerate you at Mario later.”

 

It took surprisingly little time for Michael to get re-antiquated with the guys. Geoff had completely forgiven him by now, and they played Mario Kart until the late hours of the night. As they got drunker and drunker, Michael could swear Gavin was getting a bit handsy. To be fair, Gavin was always handsy, He never seemed to understand other people’s  personal space. But, Drunk Gavin seemed to lay all over Michael and it wasn’t uncommon for Michael to find Gavin’s hand on his thigh several times throughout the night.

Likewise Ray, who was sober, kept bringing him water bottles and trying to get him to slow down on the alcohol.

“Ray, what the fuck-” Michael hiccuped. “-do you think I do in LA? like...” Michael paused like he was thinking deeply. “... half my job is getting drunk!”

He then spilled his glass of Riot Punch and Ray and Ryan decided the lot had had enough to drink.

 

Over the next few days, Michael made himself comfortable in the guest bedroom. The guys went to work every morning, Michael would occasionally go with them. He also stayed back some days to get some of his own work done. Sure, he didn’t have to be back in LA for several weeks still, but Michael never stopped making music. He’d been writing songs since he was a teenager, it was his way of venting his feelings and frustrations. Michael would probably be writing and creating music until the day he died.

Today was one of those days, Michael had forgone going to work with everyone else, and instead set up shop on the couch with his guitar and notebook.

He wasn’t getting much work done, just scribbling ideas down here and there. He occasionally texted Kerry, asking his opinion, before playing the same chords over and over again.

Michael was just getting in the zone when suddenly Geoff sat down next to him.

Confused, Michael asked: “What are you doing home so early? it’s only-” Michael checked his phone. “-It’s not even lunch yet.”

“Eh I had to run back for something.” Geoff smiled.

“Where’s everybody else?”

“Still at work. What are you working on?” He peered over at Michael’s notebook.

Michael set his guitar down and picked up the notebook, which had basically nothing but scribbles written down.

“Not much,” He grumbled.

Geoff seemed to stare at him for a moment before standing up, “Alright, I’ll let you get back to work then.”  He leant down and kissed Michael on the forehead, freezing on his way back up as if he didn’t realize what he was doing.

Michael was likewise, frozen in place. Had Geoff really just kissed him? But of course, it was just a kiss on the forehead... completely platonic... right?

Geoff rushed a quick goodbye and was out the door before Michael could say anything. A few minutes later, Michael realized Geoff never grabbed anything on his way out, what had he come all the way home for in the middle of the day?

 

“I hate you guys, I can’t believe you convinced me to come here.” MIchael pouted into his beer. Everyone laughed at him; the were seated at a rather large booth in the back of a busy bar. Michael’s back sat to most of the room but he still felt nervous, like everyone was watching him.

“Michael, calm down, no one is going to recognise you in that.” Ryan promised, but Michael looked unconvinced. “Everything’s going to be fine.”

MIchael pulled at the snapback on his head, trying to cover his face as much as possible. Everything he was wearing was so far out of his comfort zone, which is the point of course, but Michael couldn’t help but feel like a deer in headlights. He was wearing a Jack’s college hoodie that practically drowned him, and a pair of Ray’s shorts to go along with the cheesy snapback.

Michael was furious; he almost never wore shorts.

“I look ridiculous.” Michael took a large swig of his beer, this would be a lot easier once he was drunk.

“Maybe a little.” Jack admitted.

“You look weird as shit, man.” Ray said loudly and honestly.

Michael held back a glare, “No shit, genius.”

Ray shrugged in response and Geoff scooted a little closer to Michael, resting his arm on the booth behind him. “I don’t think you look bad at all.” Michael vaguely head Gavin scoff from next to him, but the sound barely registered. Michael was far too distracted by the look in Geoff’s eyes, like Michael was the center of his universe.

Michael was suddenly very aware of how close the older man was to him; he could feel Geoff’s breathing on his face.

He looked up and met Geoff’s eyes, an unreadable expression looking back at him.

“Oi!” Gavin squaked next to him, and suddenly Michael was covered in lukewarm beer.

“What the fuck, Gavin!?”

Michael spun around, to find gavin desperately trying to mop up a whole glass of beer with a single napkin. “Are you fucking kidding me?!” Michael’s entire right arm was now thoroughly soaked in beer. The thick sweat shirt was doing nothing to stop it from spreading across his chest and onto his shorts.

“Sorry!” Gavin fumbled as he climbed over Michael and Geoff and out of the booth. “I’ll get more napkins!”

“I’m fucking soaked! What the fuck?” Michael was pissed, ready to scream.

“Here, just take it off, i’ll go put it in the car.” Ryan offered.

“No, I can’t take it off!” This bar was absolutely filled with people, Gavin had disappeared into the crowd on his hunt for napkins, he couldn’t even see the front of the room from where they sat. It as packed, someone in here would absolutely recognise him.

“Well you can’t just sit there in a beer-soaked shirt all night!” Ray argued.

“Fucking watch me.” Michael countered, testing Ray.

He heard snickering behind him and before he knew it the sweatshirt was being pulled off of him. Michael evidently wasn’t as strong, and failed at fighting back. So he relented and let Geoff pull it off, pinning Michael’s arms above his head.

Michael sighed, he wanted to be annoyed; he wanted to be concerned that someone would see him. But all Michael could think about in that moment was Geoff’s rough hands on his arms and his lips only a few inches from his own.

He didn’t think twice as he pushed himself forward and pressed his lips against Geoff’s. He faintly felt the wet sweatshirt fall to the floor as Geoff did anything possible to push himself closer and closer to Michael.

Geoff pulled away and looked at Michael with the stars in his eyes, and maybe a small crazy glint as well.

Geoff looked _hungry_.

“Well are you gonna fucking share or what?” Jack broke the silence and Geoff released Michael’s arms.

A nervous laugh followed and Gavin came stumbling up to the table. “Geoff! I called dibs on first kiss!” Michael barely had the chance to comprehend Gavin’s words before he was climbing over Geoff at Michael.

If kissing Geoff had Michael in a daze, kissing Gavin felt like warm honey. He may have been in a rush to touch Michael, but as soon as he was in his arms, it was easy to tell he wanted to savor the moment. Michael felt like he was in a movie, and not as the star, this time he felt like the character who finally got the kiss they’d been waiting for.

Michael pulled away to breathe, and opened his eyes to look into Gavin’s. However, instead of being welcomed by a warm gaze, the first thing he saw was the unmistakable flash of a camera.

“It’s Michael Jones!” He heard someone yell.

Another flash.

Michael did the only thing he could think of in the moment: run.

He all but shoved Geoff and Gavin out of the way and bolted out of the bar. This was not his smartest move, as it was a very busy night and he had to force his way through the crowd of drunken idiots and now, paparazzi.

Behind him, he couldn’t differentiate between the guys calling after him and the reporters shouting questions at him.

“Michael, are you gay?”

“Wait up!”

“Who is that you were kissing?”

“We’ll meet you at the car!”

“Michael!”

“Michael Jones!”

He burst through the front doors, to find the street and sidewalk surprisingly empty.  Michael bolted around the corner, where hopefully he wouldn’t be seen, he leaned against the cold brick wall and attempted to regulate his breathing.  He bent over and rested his hands on his knees.

They got pictures of him.

They got pictures of him kissing someone.

Kissing a _man_ , possibly _two men_. Michael wasn’t even publicly out of the closet; this was by far the worst case scenario.

“Michael?!” He flinched, everyone was yelling; it was all too much.

“Michael! Oh my god, we found you.” Ray and Geoff appeared from around the corner. Michael dropped his head, he couldn’t do this. It was all too much, he couldn’t breathe.

Geoff gestured for him to follow, “Come on buddy, let’s get you to the car before they find us.”

Michael nodded. He silently rode with them back to the house; No one spoke another word that night, they all knew the implications those photos were going to have.

He didn’t sleep in the guest bedroom that night.

 

Michael woke up engulfed in warm, soft arms. He felt his feet tangled with someone’s as well, although he was unsure if it was the same person. Turning, he realised it was Ryan’s arms he was wrapped in, and Ray’s feet entangled in his own. Ryan was fast asleep, face pressed into Michael’s back, however Ray was awake and playing on his DS.

“Hey sleepyhead.” Ray smiled at him. Michael confusedly gestured to Ryan, as if to warn Ray to be quiet. “Eh, don’t worry, once he’s asleep he could sleep through anything.”

“Good to know, I guess.” Michael carefully removed himself from Ryan’s embrace and tucked the blankets around him.

“Where’s everyone else?” Michael sat up.

“Downstairs, Jack cooked breakfast already, if you’re hungry.”

“Starving, thanks.” Michael smiled and slowly climbed out of the bed, still being careful not to wake Ryan. He started to leave, before thinking twice and went back to peck Ray on the lips before going. Pulling away, Michael blushed. Just the simplest sign of affection made butterflies swarm in his stomach; he was head over heels.

Downstairs, he found Jack, Geoff, and Gavin all piled on the couch, lazily cuddling and watching tv. “Michael!” Gavin perked up when he noticed Michael enter the room.

“Hey Boi,” He smiled.

“Morning Michael, there’s breakfast on the counter if you’re hungry.”

“Thanks Jack.” Michael grabbed a plate and filled it with bacon, eggs, and toast. He sat on the other, empty couch and watched the tv as Gavin idly flipped through the channels. He didn’t seem to be in any rush to pick any specific; only staying on one channel for a few seconds at most.

_“We’re looking at a high of ninety three degrees farenheit for the South Austin area-”_

_“California, somehow experiencing both drought and flood-”_

_“But Josh, I love you. You can’t do this to me-”_

_“Hollywood heartthrob, Michael Jones, seen at a bar late last night-”_

Gavin continued flipping channels, as if not noticing who the woman was talking about. Michael spit out the large quantity of eggs that he had managed into his mouth at once and all but screamed at Gavin: “Go back!”

Gavin fumbled with the remote to find the back button. Geoff and Jack were snickering, “Hollywood... _heartthrob_?” Jack managed between giggles.

Michael pointedly rolled his eyes as his face popped back on the screen. Not just his face, but Geoff’s as well. There, on their tv screen, was a perfectly composed photograph of Geoff making out with Michael. It was unmistakeable who he was, his entire disguise having been removed.

“- Jones, seen kissing not one, but two men last night in Downtown Austin, Texas.” the picture changed to one of Gavin, half on top of him, and cradling his face like it was made of glass. Michael remembered the touch perfectly, Gavin may seem clumsy and ridiculous, but he was definitely a romantic type.

“Jesus Christ, don’t people have something better to do with their lives than talk about this shit?” Geoff grumbled; he was very obviously not happy with that picture of him being on television.

“Is Michael Jones the newest proponent of the LGBT movement? See what he had to say, more at eight.” The woman concluded her speech and it cut to commercials.

Michael was speechless, yes, he expected the worst the moment he saw the camera flash last night. But, he never thought it would end up on tv. He never thought he’d be dragging Geoff and Gavin down with him.

Oh god, they’d never want to be with him after a stunt like this. He wasn’t even sure if he was dating them or not, and he’d already lost them.

It was times like these when Michael hated his job, times when it affected his personal life too much. He would never have a normal relationship; nothing was ever private in his life. Who would want to be with someone whose business was plastered across the world every day?

“Michael? you ok?” Michael snapped out of his daze. The tv had been turned off and Ray and Ryan had come downstairs, joining them just in the nick of time.

Michael nodded and set down his breakfast. He was no longer hungry.

“Why did she say there was more of the story tonight? Did you talk to her?”

Michael chuckled darkly, “Of course not. They probably found a quote of mine from years ago and are just going to repeat it .” Michael put his head in his hands; this was far worse than anything he could have imagined.

He felt the couch move next to him, and Ray had sat down, wrapping his arm around Michael’s shoulders. “Hey, it’s going to be ok.” Ryan had followed Ray downstairs, and now stood protectively over them all.

MIchael turned to him. “Ok? This isn’t fucking ok, Ray.” Michael looked at the floor. “I’m not even out of the closet yet, publicly. This will destroy me... the band. No one will hire a band with a gay singer; people don’t like making political statements. That’s what i’ll become, just a political statement.”

“But you’re a _cute_ political statement.” Gavin attempted, before Geoff slapped his arm.

“Shut the fuck up idiot, you’re not helping.” Gavin frowned, but didn’t say anything else.

“And the worst part is, I dragged you guys down with me.” Michael looked over at the pair. “Those pictures are going to be everywhere, i’m so sorry.” Michael was well aware that the group was not publicly out of the closet either, that this would also be affecting their jobs heavily as well.

“Michael,” Geoff began, “I don’t give a fuck if my face is plastered on every billboard in America, if it means you enjoyed that kiss as much as I did.”

Michael blushed and immediately looked at the floor, he was never good at handling romantic things when in the moment. But, he nodded.

“If you hadn’t noticed we kind of all really fucking like you.” Ray said next to him, moving his arm from around Michael’s shoulders, to hold his hand instead.

Ryan looked at him seriously, “There’s a place for you in this house any time... as well as this relationship.” a few nods in the group seconded his statement.

Michael looked around, making eye contact with each man. “Yeah, i’d like that.” He looked at his hands, holding Ray’s “A lot.” Michael barely had five minutes of bliss before his phone as going off. The name “Burnie Burns” in bright letters.

“Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck!”

“What are you on about?” Gavin asked.

“It's my manager. I’m toast.” Michael sighed, running his hand through his hair.

He took his phone over to the hallway, where there was slightly more privacy. “Hello?” he asked timidly.

“Don’t you fucking ‘Hello’ me, asshole.” Michael winced. “What the _fuck_ did I say about no press? How fucking hard is it to stay inside for a month, huh? I could fucking kill you right now, I could. Do you even know what I had planned for you?” Michael held back the retort about how Burns actually _hadn’t_ told him what was happening. “I was in contact with fucking _Marvel_. Can you understand how big this is? Can you? While you’re off gallivanting with random men, i’m here making you into a goddamn superhero, buddy.”

That’s where Michael drew the line. “Hey, I don’t fucking _galavant_.”

“You shut the fuck up.” Michael did, no matter how stupid and foolish he felt being chastised by his manager, being in a Marvel movie sounded amazing. “You better hope they’re still interested in you after this. Now, get your ass back here today. We have to-”

_“What?!”_

“We’ve got to fix this mess you’ve gotten yourself into! I have press conferences lined up tomorrow, then i’m going to try to get back in contact with my guy at Marvel and see if he still wants you-”

“Burns, what the fuck happened to _‘Just take a break kid, relax.’_?”

“You ruined your vacation the minute those cameras flashed last night, Michael.” Michael sighed, putting his face in his hands. “I’ll see you in the office at nine tomorrow, if you’re not here, you can kiss Marvel goodbye.”

Michael heard the click of Burnie hanging up on him. He’d really fucked up, now.

After hanging up, he finally saw a text from Kerry, sent this morning. “Dude what the fuck is happening?”

 

Michael returned to his boyfriends after ending the call.

“What’s going to happen?” Ryan asked,

Michael sighed deeply, not even sitting down to break the news to them. He’d have to start packing immediately and buy a ticket for the next plane home. “I’m going back to L.A.”

“What?!”

“But I thought you’d be here at least another two weeks?” Jack asked,

Michael frowned, “I’m sorry, with what happened... I have to go fix everything. I have a press conference tomorrow and god knows what else after that...” Michael trailed off. He never got vacations like this, it felt like every time he got close to these guys, he’d only get ripped away a day later. Michael was really getting tired of the whiplash.

“We understand.” Ray said, sadly.

“If we can do anything to help, let us know.” Ryan suggested. Michael nodded, not planning on taking him up on the offer. He’d ruined a lot already by just being friends with them, he couldn’t ask them for anything else.

“There is something we can do.” Geoff stood up, smiling with an idea. “We’re going with you.”

“I-I-” Michael was speechless; he had no idea what to say. He couldn’t just ask them to fly halfway across the country to cover his ass.

“Yeah!” Gavin said, jumping off the couch. “I haven’t been to L.A. in ages, this is great!”

“I’m in.” Ray said.

“Me too,”

“Ok, let’s do this.”

Michael was ecstatic, they’d immediately begun packing; Achievement Hunter was covered for a few days, between the B Team and what had already been filmed. However, when they came back home there would be few long days in order to catch back up. Luck was on their side finally, and there were still more than enough tickets available for a flight later that afternoon. And before you knew it, the six men were seated on a plane and off to California.

Luckily, Michael’s penthouse apartment could easily house them for a short while. He was  bit nervous to bring the guys back to his place; he wasn’t sure they would like it or feel at home there. He also didn’t have a custom made, giant bed that could hold all six of them. So, they would have to make do with splitting up into the guest room and his own.

 

The plane ride itself went by without a hitch, however the airport was a different story. Since Michael had been on the news this morning with the most juicy Hollywood story since Brittany Spears shaved her head, there were paparazzi. _A lot_ of paparazzi. So much so that Burnie had to send bodyguards to pick them up.

“You have fucking _henchmen_?” Ray exclaimed.

The good part of this was that instead of a gross taxi, now they could at least ride in a limousine. The driver had pulled up in front of his apartment building and bodyguards were already blocking people with cameras from them.

“Home sweet home.” Michael said with a smile as as they piled out of the spacious limo.

“Shit, Boi.” Gavin said, head falling back as he looked up at the sky scraper.

Michael smirked; yeah, his place was pretty cool. They each grabbed their suitcases out of the truck, Michael insisting the “henchmen” did not need to help them carry their bags. Michael was perfectly safe inside his own apartment.

He showed the guys into the luxurious lobby, to the only elevator that went all the way to his floor.

“Wait.” Ryan said slowly as Michael pulled out his key card that gave access to his apartment. “You don’t live in the _penthouse_... do you?”

After the elevator started moving to his floor, Michael rested his suitcase against his leg and rubbed the back of his neck. “Uhhh, maybe?”

“Are you fucking shitting me?” Geoff said with his usual apathetic excitement.

“oh my fucking god...” Ray mumbled.

Michael smiled awkwardly, he had no idea what to say in this situation. He grew up living off food stamps and thrift store clothes; when the band started getting popular and their music started selling, he never really had time to adjust to having this much money. He spent freely and often, usually on his family, but he allowed himself a few luxuries... here and there... But he never got used to showing people this side of his life, he never go used to seeing people react to his money. Which, he had _quite_ a lot of.

After a very long ride up, the elevator doors finally opened up to his small entry way. He set his suitcase down next to his coat rack and held the elevator open as each, thoroughly starstruck, boyfriend exited.

“Make yourselves at home.” Michael chuckled at the expression on each man’s faces. Gavin’s jaw was practically on the floor, his bags looked seconds to falling out of his hands, and his eyes were wide as saucers.

“wha-”

“Holy shit Michael...”

They turned the corner from the entrance way and collectively gaped at the size of Michael’s living room. His living room and kitchen alone were probably the size of their house in Austin.  Complete with the largest tv any of them had ever seen, the softest-looking couch, expensive granite counter tops, stainless steal, massive windows overlooking the L.A. skyline, and... a fully stocked bar.

Geoff immediately dropped his bags and high-tailed it to the bar; Gavin not far behind. Jack walked over to the floor-to ceiling windows, awed by the skyline and beach views.

MIchael couldn’t help but grin at their child-like amusement. “Come here,” He said to whoever was willing to listen, and led them to the sliding glass doors in the living area. The balcony was by far his favorite place in his apartment, it overlooked the western, beach-side of the apartment and was as big as an entire room on its own. He leaned against the railing, looking out at the horizon. Ray and Jack joined him at the railing, marveling at the beautiful view.

“Bloody hell, Michael, is that a hot tub?” Gavin question from behind them, Michael turned to chuckle at him.

It was true, the hut tub had came with the place when he bought it, but he almost never used it. “Yeah, if you want to use it you can. Might have to get it cleaned though.”

Gavin practically jumped for joy; he ran over to Michael and gave him the sloppiest kiss ever. It was hard in the moment for Michael not to think how much his feelings for the man had grown recently. He was head over heals; it was honestly a bit pathetic how much he liked each of them.

Michael grabbed a beer from the mini fridge under the bar and showed them the rest of the apartment. As penthouses go, it was actually rather small; three bedrooms, one of which converted into a music studio, and two and a half baths.

“Seriously, this is the nicest apartment i’ve seen in my life.” Ryan kicked back on the couch, resting his shoe-less feet on the coffee table.

“Yeah I thought i’d only ever see these kinds of places on tv.” Ray admitted, joining Ryan on the couch.

“Eh, it’s alright.” Michael said sarcastically, Gavin throwing a pillow at him.

“Boi, it's absolutely not fair that you get to live somewhere so nice.”

“You’re the luckiest fuck in the goddamn world.” Geoff said.

Michael held up his hands in defense, what they were saying was absolutely true; Michael was lucky. But, he’d also worked incredibly hard to get where he was today, luck can only get someone so far.

They spent the rest of the evening doing what they do best, drinking and playing video games. Michael decided he should probably go to bed around midnight, for he had the press conference early in the morning. He slept with Ray and Ryan in his room, while Geoff, Jack and Gavin slept in the guest room; Michael only had queen-size beds so it was a bit of a tight fit, but they made it work.

 

It was a great night, but Michael had to face the facts sooner or later.

 

He woke up early the next morning to a text from Burnie: “There will be a car outside for you in one hour. You better be there.”

Michael groaned and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, responding: “I can drive myself you know?” But he knew there was no way, for something this important, Burnie would never trust him enough to let him drive.

He slipped out of bed, finding it still full, and tiptoed down the hall to the kitchen in search of coffee. There, he discovered Geoff desperately attempting what Michael assumed was cooking.

“What on earth are you doing?”

Geoff jumped like he’d been caught red handed. “Oh sorry, I just wanted to make coffee before everyone got up, but I can’t figure out your goddamn expensive, crazy coffee machine!” He huffed.

Michael giggled and lifted the lid on top, trying not to act smug. Geoff crossed his arms and feigned disinterest; however, he was watching Michael’s movements like he was operating a spaceship, rather than making coffee.

It finally finished brewing and Michael poured him a mug. “Do you want some liquor in it?”

Geoff gasped; he grinned and put his hand on Michael’s shoulder. “You understand me.” He forced his voice to crack. “I want nothing more than some liquor in this fucking coffee.”

“Whatever asshole, there’s a bottle of Jack in the bar, I need to get dressed.”

Michael barely left on time, his boyfriends stumbling behind him, insistent.

“Seriously Michael, you don’t have to do this on your own.”

“Whatever, if you want to jump into the shark tank, who am I to stop you?” This would only end badly for them, Michael knew it. If they went, they wouldn’t be leaving happy. Sure, gay marriage was recently legalized. That doesn’t mean society had completely accepted that lifestyle, let alone a _polyamorous_ gay relationship.

Michael wasn’t even sure if he’d have to completely come out or not. It would probably be easier in the moment, to tell the truth, but the repercussions would be life-shattering.

Jesus, what had his life become?

When they arrived at the venue, the guys were immediately pulled in a different direction, assistants pointing them toward the public rooms where the press waited.  Burnie found Michael immediately, leading him over to hair and makeup. He handed him a stack of note cards.

“Here, you’re going to read these, and you’re going to fucking like it.”

Michael glanced down at them, immediately seeing the words “-too inebriated to think rationally” and he thought he might vomit. Why was he so worked up about this today? He’d made official statements before, about everything personal in his life, why did this time matter so much? He could read what’s on the card easily; he’d taken acting classes. Reading words off paper wasn’t hard. But something in his stomach began to churn, how could he just pretend Geoff and Gavin, as well as Ray and Ryan and Jack, meant nothing to him? Meant nothing more than a drunken escapade? Could he morally do this?

“You look like you’re about to hurl, Michael.” Burnie grabbed a cold water bottle from the craft services table. “Here.”

“Thanks, Burns.” Michael managed, before downing the entire bottle. Vomit was an actual possibility right now.

 

Through the curtain, Michael could already hear how loud the room was. It was packed to the rafters with reporters from every magazine, newspaper, and website in America. Finally, he took a deep breath, and stepped out.

For a split second, the room went dead silent as they noticed his presence, then erupted like a furious volcano of questions.

Michael hadn’t even sat down in his seat yet, and the cameras were flashing with people yelling:

“Michael, why haven’t you come out yet? Are you homophobic?’

“Do you love those men?”

“How much did you have to drink that night?”

The room became too deafening to make out any single question.

He sat in the chair, designated for him by the plethora of microphones in front of it. Buying himself time, he tapped his cards on the table in front of him, straightening them.

He could barely breathe! How was he supposed to say these lies with a straight face if this is what he had to deal with. It’s rude is what it is; Michael may be famous but he deserved his privacy. He should be allowed a private life, to experiment with relationships before being thrown into the deep end. It wasn’t fair!

Michael searched the crowd for a familiar face, it was impossible to see around the blinding camera flashes. However, his eyes finally found Ryan’s. There, he found a moment of peace. Ryan smiled at him softly, as if thinking the same thing, that they should deserve their privacy.

Next to Ryan was Jack, and Gavin. They both send him positive, yet apprehensive looks. Like they were afraid for what was about to happen, but they’d stand with whatever Michael said for good. Ray must have been shorter than most of the crowd because he, and Geoff were lost in the sea.

He caught Gavin’s eyes, a took a deep breath.

“Good Morning.” He read, the room quieted down. “We all know why we’re here, You’ve all seen the photos of me from the bar in Texas. Yes, I-” Michael stopped mid breath. He couldn’t go through with it, he could do it.

From there, the cards read: _‘Yes, I drank quite heavily that night. It was celebration for friends, and the evening got out of hand. I got far too inebriated to think rationally, and made poor decisions.’_

But Michael could go no farther. Physically, he was unable to say these words, something was stopping him. Something...

He looked up at the crowd, for guidance, and immediately met eyes with Geoff. Geoff had his lips pursed in pure panic. It seemed he knew exactly what Michael was thinking, and nodded.

Michael swallowed dryly.

“Michael, why is it that you feel you need more than one person to satisfy you?” The voice rang out through the room, happening to catch a quiet moment. Furious, Michael turned his head to look this particular reporter in the eye. It was middle-aged woman, a venomous look in her eye. She knew exactly how that question would affect Michael. She knew it would make him angry; she wanted this.

Well, if it’s what the people want...

Here goes his job; Michael chuckled darkly.

“Ok,” He began, standing up and throwing his cards off to the side, purely for dramatic effect. “A few nights ago, I got drunk with some of my closest friends in a bar in Austin. My friends who i’ve been crushing on for months on end.” Michael smiled, his face flushing red. In the corner of his eye he saw Burnie franticly waving his arms, begging him to stop. “I’m gay, and my boyfriends and I are in a polyamorous relationship.” He turned to once again look the woman in the eye. “And it’s amazing.” He smiled, a devilish glint in his eye. “That’s all I’ve got for you.”

Stepping over his old cards, Michael existed the small stage the same way he entered, past Burnie.

Once they were hidden behind the curtain, Burnie began, “I’ll be honest with you Michael.” He crossed his arms. “That speech was awesome, and i’m proud of you. But, as you manager, i’m obliged to be fucking pissed that you didn’t stick to your cards.”

Michael laughed wholeheartedly, Burnie was an amazing guy and great friend, but the man was a professional... usually.

“Michael!” He heard a familiar british voice ring out, from down the hall.

“Gavvy!” Michael yelled back; All five men were running towards them as fast as possible.

“They let us back here to see you!”

“I didn’t know you were such a sap”

“Aw lil baby Michael thinks we’re _‘Amazing’_.”Jack pinched Michael’s cheek.

“Fuck off guys,” Michael laughed and accepted every hug offered. “God, I won’t be able to check social media for at least a month, after that.”

“Oh no, what a horrible life you have.” Geoff fake pouted, winding his arms around Michael’s neck.

“You mother fucker,” Michael jokingly pushed him away.

“Let’s go home, we can take your mind off all this with some Mario Party!” Ray offered

“Absolutely.” Michael smiled; how on earth did he get so lucky? The began walking away, headed out front where, surely there’d be a car for him.

“You can kiss Marvel goodbye!” Burnie yelled sarcastically after them.

“Marvel can eat a bag of dicks!” He called back.

 

“Gavin! Give me the remote you buttfuck!” Geoff screamed, wrestling his boyfriend to the floor. Jack and Ray cuddled on the couch above them, giggling at their boyfriends’ antics. In the other room, Ryan was making popcorn, as the screaming between the grown men grew steadily louder, he yelled back:

“If you two don’t stop fighting we’re going to miss it!”

Jack checked the time, “Seriously, it’s starting in one minute.”

With a cry of victory, Geoff finally removed the remote from Gavin’s clutches, quickly changing the channel to the correct one. They were just in time as a commercial was finishing up, and the logo for the 2016 Super Bowl popped on the screen.

Ryan joined Jack and Ray on the couch, Geoff choosing to stay seated on top of Gavin, who didn’t seem to notice now that the television had his entire focus.

“Welcome to the 2016 Super Bowl Half Time Show” The announcer said.

Each man watched in awe as the video cut to Michael, live, in the center of the biggest stage in the country.

“Hello America!” He screamed into the microphone, and the roar he received back was deafening. 


End file.
